You have 3,000 bananas and a camel which can carry at most 1,000 bananas at a time. The camel eats a banana before moving a unit. You want to transport the bananas 1,000 units. What is the maximum number of uneaten bananas that you can move 1,000 units?


This makes it a bit more clear.. (I changed the word unit to mile)

You have 3,000 bananas and a camel which can carry at most 1,000 bananas at a time. The camel eats a banana before moving a mile. You want to transport the bananas 1,000 miles. What is the maximum number of uneaten bananas that you can move 1,000 miles?

Also, the camel eats a banana when he's coming and going.



The Unabageler has done it !!

 

A cursory analysis suggests that the answer is zero.

Does the camel eat a banana/unit whether or not it's carrying anything? For example, if you took 1,000 bananas 500 units, the camel would consume 500 of the bananas. Would it eat another 500 to go back 500 units to get the a second load?

 

Yes, the camel eats one banana for every unit he travels, no matter the direction, no matter what he's carrying. And he can only carry 1000 at one time.

 

533 1/3 bananas left uneaten.

 

How do you define "unit"? Is it a distance? Or is a unit 1,000 bananas?

At first I thought it was a trick question. Now I just don't think it makes any sense. Am I missing something?

 

is it 415? I'll post how I got my answer if it is.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by gohiking
[B]How do you define "unit"? Is it a distance? Or is a unit 1,000 bananas?

 

It's not 415 or 533.33....

 

499 bananas, unless the camel shits while carrying bananas. Do we consider that? If so, how often does he shit?

 

yes it is 533 1/3.